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Autism

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Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling

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Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, defined by impairments in social and communication function, and repetitive and stereotyped behavioral patterns. It occurs in approximately 7–40 out of 10,000 persons.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) represent a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and is characterized by social and communication deficits accompanied by repetitive and stereotype behaviors, with onset before 3 years of age (American Psychiatric Association 1994; DiCicco-Bloom et al. 2006; Caglayan 2010).

Synonyms and Related Disorders

Autistic disorder; Autism spectrum disorders (autism, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder)

Genetics/Basic Defects

  1. 1.

    Secondary autism (nongenetic and genetic conditions associated with autism): accounts for a small minority of individuals with...

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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Perinatal and Clinical Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, LSU Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71130, USA

    Harold Chen

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(2012). Autism. In: Chen, H. (eds) Atlas of Genetic Diagnosis and Counseling. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1037-9_20

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